Unless you live under a rock you know that we have an election in about six weeks time. Here in Massachusetts we have several seats up for grabs including the Governor’s office. For the last four years it has been held by a Democrat and for more than 12 years before that a Republican. There will be four names on the ballot in November but the media is making sure you will only hear from three.
Tonight, a debate will take place being sponsored by a group of media outlets in Massachusetts hosted by CNN’s John King. This debate will feature all four candidates but if the media has it’s way one of those voices will be silenced after tonight. It has already been silenced by several media outlets and I find this action outrageous.
In addition to the Democrat and Republican on the ballot this November will be an Independent candidate and a candidate from the Green Party. It is the Green Party candidate that the media hopes will go away. Dr. Jill Stein is on the ballot in Massachusetts, has met all of the requirements of her party and the Commonwealth yet the media thinks she is not worthy of a spot on the stage. They have decided that a candidate that has not raised more than $100,000 by October 1st is not viable and therefore will not allowed on the stage. I find this troubling on many levels.
First off this is censorship at its worst. I have heard it said that too many candidates will just confuse the voters. Well the media needs to understand that we are not stupid and we can decide who to vote for. Keeping one of the four voices off the stage will not make it any better. We have heard it all before. The two parties have been in power back in forth for all this time and things are not getting any better, so maybe it is time for another party to take power. But this will never happen if the media shuts it out!
Secondly, the air waves belong to “we the people” we own them and we allow them to use them. They have a responsibility to provide “we the people” with all of the information not just what they think is important. You report, we decide. That was one station’s motto a few years back. We deserve to have all of the information so we can make an informed decision.
The bottom line is if a candidate, of any party, qualifies to be on the ballot then that should be the only requirement to be included in a debate. This is too important a decision to be left to only the information the media provides us with.
Callie Crossley who hosts a program on WGBH radio had this to say about leaving Dr. Stein off of the ballot, “I am Pollyanna about this. I am a citizen vote. If they make the ballot, if they get the signatures, they ought to be in all the debates. I am more than creeped out by the consortium setting a set of criteria. They just came up with a set of criteria, and so it’s arbitrary, and I find that distasteful.”
I agree with Ms. Crossley! “We the people” can make up our minds if you the media do your job and just report the news and not comment on it. We deserve better than that from our airwaves.
TV news is dead insofar as it is not an outlet of useful information.
Newspapers are day old news on dead trees and are a dying breed.
The internet is where one ought to be garnering information from as many sources as possible about candidates in order to make an informed decision.
when the media tries to tell us or sway us to their parties of intrest they are guilty of censorship.Thats what happened when president Obama won the media was all about him.
this happened in communist russia,it was not good for them and its not good for us either.linda